Friday 27 November 2009 19.01 EST
First published on Friday 27 November 2009 19.01 EST

Why is the Guardian focusing on this area of Uganda?

The Guardian was already committed to working in the Teso region, in the north-east of Uganda, through its Katine project, a three-year rural development programme covering health, education, water/sanitation, livelihoods and governance. Katine, home to around 25,000 people, is a sub-county in the Soroti district, and the Guardian was keen to leave a more lasting legacy for the entire region, which is made up of six districts with a population of approximately 1.5 million. What has emerged from the Katine project is a particular concern around the education and training of girls.

Why was the Mvule Trust chosen?

The Mvule Trust was already working in Teso, having identified the area as one of the most educationally disadvantaged in Uganda. Very few young people in Teso are able to complete secondary school due largely to costs, and even fewer go on to technical or higher education.

The NGO has good relationships with secondary schools and institutions in the area, like the nursing schools in Ngora and Soroti. It has a network for identifying young people to support. It is also staffed by young Ugandans who have themselves benefited from scholarships in the past and have expert knowledge of scholarship programmes, as well as the big challenges young people – particularly young women - face to complete secondary education and go on to higher education.

What are the objectives of the Christmas appeal?

The key objective is to put several hundred young people from Teso into technical or higher education who would otherwise not have been able to study at this level. Most of these will be girls, who are much less likely to continue in education than boys. Educating girls has a major impact on agricultural productivity, child survival, maternal health and much more. According to Mvule's research, only six girls from the entire district of Amuria, in Teso, which has a population of almost 300,000, managed to get to university last year. Donations from Guardian and Observer readers will not fund young people who would in the normal course of events be supported by government to go on to tertiary education.

How will these objectives be achieved?

District officials, headteachers and partner NGOs and community groups have, and are continuing to, identify young people who have dropped out of the education system for one or two years after taking their O-levels or A-level exams. This establishes neediness and inability to pay for further education. Mvule staff are screening the young people to establish what further studies they might pursue – this depends on the academic "passes" the young person has achieved and their interests. Mvule will help the young person gain admission to an institution, usually within the Teso area, pay the tuition and boarding fees and support the beneficiary in other ways, such as through counselling, supplies, equipment and meetings with parents.

How will the scholarships be funded?

They will be funded through readers' donations. Mvule has core funding from the funding body, Arcadia, which covers its costs, such as running an office and a vehicle. It is a very small organisation with low overheads.

Isn't education the government's responsibility?

The Ugandan government supports students in the first three years of secondary school through a per capita grant to schools. However, after these three years, and after O-levels, families have to pay the tuition fees as well as costs for books and pens. The government supports 11 young people per district to go to university, but this is a tiny fraction of the university-age population.

Why can't families pay for this education?

Teso is one of the poorest regions of Uganda. This area has suffered a series of shocks in the past two decades, including persistent cattle raids and loss of livestock, civil conflict and a rebel incursion by the Lord's Resistance Army, two droughts and a devastating flood in 2007. Most people depend on subsistence agriculture and their resources are desperately overstretched in just feeding their families. Only a small minority of families can afford to put their children through secondary school.

Won't this initiative just contribute to brain drain?

No. Most of the beneficiaries will study in regional institutions and will maintain strong links with their home villages and families. Their training is directly related to the needs of those communities and the aim is that many will be able to use their new skills to the benefit of this poor region.

Why is Mvule working with the government and other NGOs and community groups?

Mvule sees the importance of local knowledge and draws on a wide range of contacts in the community to find appropriate applicants for the scholarships. The trust staff consult the district education officers and school headteachers, and have established good relationships with educational institutions like the National Forestry College in Uganda.

What happens if not enough funds are raised?

There is no "not enough", there is only "less". The more funds raised, the more young people will be funded. The tuition fees for one young person for an entire course of study range from about £700 for two years of A-levels in a regional boarding school to £800 for a two and a half year diploma in forestry to £900 for a two and a half year nursing course, according to Mvule's best estimates at the time of publication.

Money raised through this appeal will see young people through a complete cycle of education. In other words, readers' donations will pay for a young person to start and complete his or her training as a forester, for example. After completion of training, the young person will look for a job, and Mvule often provides coaching. No student would ever be funded part way through a course. Most professional and technical courses last two to two and half years. University is usually three years. Much of the training Mvule proposes would enable the young person to set up their own business or use their family land more productively. Mvule has included the cost of some set-up equipment, such as tools, in its budget.

How will each £1 be spent?

Out of every pound, 70p will go directly on students' tuition and board, 15p will go on visits to schools, meetings and training with students, 10p will go on staff salaries and 5p will go towards the cost of overheads, such as paper, utilities, a telephone line, travel around the country, vehicle maintenance and rent contribution. All funds are spent in Uganda with the exception of the payment to the firm through which you will make your donation (Valdata) for the duration of the appeal. Mvule has no salaried staff or overheads in the UK.

Can I visit a student if I fund him or her?

No. Mvule does not encourage visits and would not allocate you an individual student. But if you are particularly interested in, for example, how the forestry students have fared – did they get jobs? What are they doing to mitigate climate change? How many trees have they grown? – Mvule can send you updates. You will also be able to find this information in Mvule's annual reports. Mvule has a child and young people protection policy.